Predicting when repairs will be needed—or how much they'll cost—is nearly impossible. A kitchen appliance warranty provides financial protection and peace of mind by covering repair and replacement costs when major appliances fail.
This guide covers everything you need to know about kitchen appliance warranties, including their benefits, coverage, common exclusions, tips for finding the right provider, and answers to frequently asked questions.
A kitchen appliance home warranty is an annual or monthly home service contract that covers some or all of the repair and replacement costs for major kitchen appliances like refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, cooking ranges, and microwaves.
The process generally works like this: When an appliance breaks from normal wear and tear, the homeowner submits a claim online or by phone, pays a service fee (also known as deductible)—typically between $70 and $130—and the appliance warranty provider dispatches a licensed technician to diagnose and fix the issue within a set timeframe. If repairs aren’t feasible, the appliance may be replaced, depending on the warranty policy’s terms.
Know that home warranty plans for home appliances differ from homeowners insurance policy, which protects your home and systems against damage from fire, storms, or theft. Instead, a kitchen appliance home warranty specifically covers mechanical failures due to regular use.
Unlike a manufacturer’s warranty, which typically covers defects in materials or workmanship for about a year, a kitchen appliance home warranty offers broader coverage. It protects multiple major appliances, regardless of their original owner, and extends beyond the limited protection of standard warranties—especially for secondhand appliances.
If your household appliances are a few years old or outside the window of extended warranty coverage, a home warranty can offer you a host of benefits:
Depending on the issue, kitchen appliance repairs can cost several hundred dollars upfront. For example, fixing a faulty refrigerator condenser unit can range from $650 to $1,400.
But with a kitchen appliance home warranty, you may only need to pay a service fee for a technician to assess the problem, while the warranty provider covers the rest. This predictable expense can lead to substantial savings in costly repairs, especially if multiple appliances suffer breakdowns within a year.
A broken kitchen appliance can cause major disruptions in the household. A defective refrigerator can spoil freshly-bought produce in just a few hours, while a faulty cooking range may leave your family without a home-cooked meal for weeks.
With a home warranty, resolving these issues becomes both faster and easier. Instead of scrambling to find a reputable repair service and waiting days for an appointment, homeowners simply contact their warranty provider, who dispatches a licensed technician (typically within 48 hours).
This streamlined process saves you time and ensures essential appliances are back in working order quickly.
Every appliance has a limited lifespan, but prompt repairs can keep it running smoothly for years to come. Ignoring minor issues, like a dishwasher with a small leak or a refrigerator struggling to maintain temperature, can snowball into major failures that could prove expensive to mend later down the line.
With a home warranty, homeowners can address problems early without delaying repairs due to financial constraints.
By covering repairs as soon as an issue arises, a warranty helps extend the lifespan of your kitchen appliances while avoiding the hassle and expense of premature replacements.
Kitchen appliance protection plans typically cover your technical issues with the motor, electronics, and other major components responsible for its operation.
It applies to all major appliances in the kitchen like refrigerator, oven, microwave, cooktops, kitchen exhaust fans, and garbage disposals. Here’s a general overview of what’s covered and excluded in home warranties for kitchen appliances:
Covered parts may include the ice maker, thermostat, condenser, defrost heating element, compressor, motor, pump motor, and timer, along with electrical components like relays, transformers, fuses, and electronic circuits. Components excluded from coverage include spoiled food, the ice maker, and the chilled water dispenser.
Some covered parts may include the gas valve, burners, regulator, seals, thermocouple, relay, thermostat, igniter, sensor, fuse, power pack, surface unit controls, cooking controls, heating elements, and wiring.
Racks, handles, knobs, clocks, meat probe sensors are some of the items that may be excluded from coverage.
All components of a dishwasher are generally covered by a kitchen appliance home warranty plan, except baskets, rollers, and racks.
Most parts of a microwave would likely be covered by your warranty, including touch pad, control board, power supply, and motor.
Not covered could be countertop units, rotisserie, interior linings, clocks, or door glass.
All parts and components of a garbage disposal should generally be covered, unless the jam was caused by bones or foreign objects that aren’t food.
All parts, except rooftop exhaust units and filters, are generally covered by warranty.
Some covered parts may include the gas valve, main burner, thermocouple, thermostat, relief valve, and electrical heating element.
A few parts that might be excluded from coverage are solar water heater, oil-fired water heaters, anode rods and heat recovery units.
There are a few conditions that a home warranty provider may not cover:
Keep in mind that the specifics of what’s covered and excluded vary by provider. Consider requesting a sample contract from the warranty company you’re interested in to ensure your unique requirements are met, so you don’t have to rely on guesswork when it comes to your coverage.
The cost difference between repairing an appliance with and without a home warranty can be staggering.
Let’s break it down.
When estimating the cost of repairing a broken appliance, you need to factor in several types of expenses:
Drawing on that example, repairing a broken dishwasher with a faulty motor could cost between $520 and $880 in total. However, with a home warranty covering the repair, you would only pay the service call fee, which even at $130, means savings of 75% to 85% of the total cost of repair without a warranty.
The savings become even more significant if you have multiple aging appliances and several of them break down.
For example, a refrigerator repair can cost between $100 and $500 if the issue is with the evaporator fan motor or thermostat. Some repairs, such as fixing a gas leak, can range between $400 and $1,110.
With ARW Home’s Kitchen Plus warranty, even one covered repair can make the plan worthwhile.
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to home warranty companies. What works for you might not work for your neighbor’s household. The right kitchen appliance warranty plan depends heavily on the condition of your appliances, your financial situation, and your specific needs.
Here are some tips to help you find a top-rated warranty company plan that’s worth your money:
Many warranty providers offer multiple plans, some with broader coverage than others. If your appliances are relatively new and in good condition, a basic plan may be enough.
Otherwise, a more comprehensive plan might be necessary.
Most providers offer sample contracts that outline what is covered and what is excluded for each appliance. When reading the contract, you’ll find that many plans don’t cover pre-existing conditions, storm damage, neglect, or improper installation, while other plans may not have such restrictions.
Carefully reviewing the contract helps you understand what you are signing up for and prevents surprises when filing a claim.
Get quotes from multiple providers and compare their monthly or annual fees, coverage details, and coverage limits. A slightly higher premium may be worth it if the plan includes protection for pre-existing conditions or lower service call fee, which may be necessary if your kitchen has aged appliances with a lot of performance issues.
With these tips, you can choose a provider whose coverage matches your needs, has fair terms and conditions, and provides good value while ensuring a smooth claims process when you need it most.
In general, most standard warranty providers don’t cover pre-existing conditions, which refer to issues that existed before your year warranty coverage began. Most plans are designed to cover unexpected repairs that arise once the warranty is in effect, not issues that were already present.
However, some providers may offer limited coverage for pre-existing conditions. For example, they might cover repairs for unknown issues that existed before the policy started, but not for conditions that were known before coverage began.
Be sure to read your contract thoroughly to understand the provider’s stance on pre-existing conditions.
Most warranty plans have a coverage limit on appliance replacements per year. If the cost of replacement exceeds this limit, you may have to pay the overage out of pocket.
Make sure to check your contract to understand the specific coverage caps and terms.
Many warranty providers cover existing appliances but may impose age limits, often around 10 years.
However, some plans, including ours, offer coverage regardless of the appliance’s age.
Unexpected appliance breakdowns can be stressful and costly—but they don’t have to be. With ARW Home’s Kitchen Plus warranty, you get reliable coverage for your essential kitchen appliances, saving you time, money, and hassle.
For just an easy monthly cost, you’ll enjoy:
Don’t get caught off guard – get peace of mind today.
Source for below information: https://americanresidentialwarranty.com/assets/images/arw-twg-terms.pdf